


Midnight Rose

by permanentsmile



Category: Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Cute, Eventual Sex, F/M, Fluff, Love, Romance, Sex, Slow Burn, kiss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-13 04:55:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21238514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/permanentsmile/pseuds/permanentsmile
Summary: Max Taylor is a Stylist to the stars. Her favorite star she works for just happens to be her celebrity crush, Tom Hiddleston.





	1. Lights, Camera, Action

**March, 2014**

I woke up to a beautiful early spring sunrise just outside of Toronto, Canada in an empty hotel bed. This routine had become typical for me, as I was in Toronto on business as a stylist for the actor Tom Hiddleston, who was starring in a film called "Crimson Peak." We were in the early stages of filming, and I was so very excited to see the film come together as I was a big fan of horror movies.  
  
Swinging my legs out of bed and tugging at my white and red nightgown, I did my stretches to loosen up my body after a good seven hours of sleep. Hey, with my job, you'd better learn how to sleep anywhere. I hopped out of bed and quickly straightened it out, not wanting to bother the housekeepers too much while I was away. I laid out my clothes for the day (some black leggings, a chunky light blue sweater with a white t-shirt underneath), set out my makeup, and immediately went for the shower.

After showering, doing my brown hair (just a messy bun), and makeup (light on the eyeliner and mascara, some pink eye shadow, and a nude lipstick), I had some fresh fruit and yogurt for breakfast, grabbed my work bag, and out the door I went. On my way out the hotel door, my cell phone rang.

"Max Taylor, Celebrity Male Groomer," I answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello Max Taylor, Celebrity Male Groomer. This is your brother speaking," came the amused voice of my youngest brother, who I was closest to, Adam.

"Hey, big brother. How are you?" I asked as I locked the door to my room.

"Oh good, just got done changing Arrow's diaper. Joan just left for work and to take Leah and Bradley to school."

"How is Mr. Arrow today? Did you give him a kiss for me?" I asked as I picked up my bag and headed toward the elevator.

"Say hi, Auntie Max!" Adam said as I heard him move his phone around.

"Hi, Arrow! Auntie Max misses you! I can't wait to squeeze those little cheekies!" I cooed, earning some strange looks from a few people passing by.  
I reached the elevator and pressed "down," then waited.

"How are things with Joan?"

"Couldn't be better. She sends her love, by the way." I could almost hear Adam smiling.

Adam and I chatted for a bit until I reached my rent-a-car and heard Arrow cry, indicating that Adam had to hang up and so did I.

"I'll talk to you later, sis. Have fun on set with your boyfriend!" he teased.

"He's not my boyfriend," I replied with frustration, knowing that my secret crush on Tom Hiddleston wasn't so secret with my siblings.

"Love you. Bye!" Adam hung up on me.

I rolled my eyes and put my phone away in my bag, then closed the car door.

"Okay. Remember: Tom is not your boyfriend. He's one of your best friends. He's your client. Do not try to flirt with him today," I said as I stared at my own blue eyes in the rear view mirror of the car.

I sighed and started the car, then drove off to set to meet up with the rest of the cast and crew.

* * *

"There she is!" I heard a familiar voice with an English accent say as I stepped into my designated trailer.

"Hey there you," I said in a semi-flirtatious manner.

_Dammit_.

"How are you, love?" Tom asked with a bright smile as he sat in his chair, spinning around on the seat.

"Oh, I'm great!" I said enthusiastically. "How are you doing today, Tom?" I propped my bag onto the counter in front of Tom and smiled at him.

"I'm quite good, thank you." He smiled at me as I started to rummage through my bag for all the tools I'd need to make him camera-ready.

"My, is that a new color on your nails?" he asked as I set down a can of his favorite shaving butter that contained spearmint.

"Yes it is," I said as I looked down at the shade of light blue nails I decided on the previous night. "How nice of you to notice."

"How could I not?" He smiled again as he watched me unpack my bag. "So what will you be doing to my face today?"

"I will be shaving your face, touching up your roots, styling your hair, and applying a light amount of foundation just to even out your skin tone." I looked back at him as I said this and smiled at him, and felt myself blush when I saw his beautiful blue eyes staring back at me.

"Sounds like quite a lot of work. You up for the task at hand?" he teased.

"Naturally."

I turned back to him with a fresh razer in hand and applied a light amount of spearmint shaving butter to his face, then began to gently shave off the stubble that had formed on his face since we filmed two days prior. He hummed a little tune that was relaxing to my ears as the razer glided over his skin. The reason I chose to use spearmint-infused shaving butter on all my clients was because it really woke up the hairs, left their skin feeling softer, and smelling good.

"All done, Mr. Hiddleston," I said as I took the final stroke of the razer to his neck.

He chuckled.

"We're back to that again, huh?"

"Of course. This is a time of proper language, after all, you're about to be transported back to the early nineteen-hundreds. Please sit forward, sir."

He chuckled and leaned over the little sink that was in front of him. I draped a towel around his gray v-neck t-shirt and splashed some cold water onto his face to re-hydrate the skin, then took a warm towel and dabbed it across his face and neck as he sat back in his seat. He fiddled with his Time X watch as he watched me work in the mirror.

"What ever made you decide to be a stylist, my dear Max?"

I stopped patting him down with the towel and put it in the wash bin behind me.

"My dad has a friend back in Australia and he is a stylist. He sort of inspired me, I suppose. Plus I love making people look and feel their best!" I smiled at him, then went back to my pink saddlebag and pulled out my case of barber equipment.

"I always forget your father is from Australia. You do not have the accent at all."

"It's all the American television as a kid, I tell ya!" I giggled and began to comb his nice head of curly hair, taking my time as this was one of my favorite parts as his stylist.

"Mmm," he mumbled as he leaned back in his chair, seeming to enjoy the attention his hair was getting. "I understand. My father is Scottish and I never picked up his accent, though...." He cleared his throat, his accent changing, "I can mimick it pretty damn well."

"Yet another talent displayed, Mr. Hiddleston." I said as I smiled at him in the mirror, which was when I caught him staring at my reflection.

"So who else do you work for? I know you work for Ben."

Benedict Cumberbatch. He was a nice and charming fellow, but he had a second stylist those days as he had become one of Britain's most wanted actors. He was also one of my first clients.

"Let's see... I work with Clive Owen, Peter Capaldi, and Hugh Laurie. But they all have second stylists in case I'm away for a film on request."

"Are you a Doctor Who fan?" he asked suddenly.

"Yes, I do. It's such a joy to work when Mr. Capaldi is on set. The costumes and makeup is very impressive."

"Probably much more exciting than this. We're set back quite a way in time, aren't we?" Tom chuckled.

"Oh no, I've always enjoyed reading about this period in time in school. I find this all very exciting as well." I smiled at him as I applied a styling cream to his hair.

He mumbled something under his breath and sighed as I worked my fingers through his hair.

"There you are, Tom, all set," I said, still subconsciously running my fingers through his hair.

"Mmm. You did what you could with what you had to work with," he said in a teasing manner as he looked up at me.

"Oh stop," I said with a giggle, realizing my fingers were still in his hair and immediately withdrew my hand.

I caught a look of disappointment on his face when I withdrew my hand. He quickly put on a smile and stood up, towering over my five-foot-six frame.

"Tomorrow there's no filming. Perhaps you would like to hang out?"

I felt my heart soar at his words and wondered if it was a dream. I nearly pinched myself.

"Of course!" I said, trying not to sound too hasty. "What do you have in mind?"

"I'll surprise you, my dear," he said as he walked over to the door of his trailer. "Off to wardrobe. I will see you in a little while."

"Okay. Bye, Tom!" I said in a higher pitched voice than normal.

He chuckled and hopped out of the trailer, closing the door behind himself.

I stared at myself in the mirror, taking in what had just happened as I clumsily gathered my things.

"Tom Hiddleston wants to hang out. Totally no big deal, right?" I said quietly.


	2. A Day With Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Max spend the day together doing various activities. Does it end with a kiss or disappointment?

The following day, I met Tom in the lobby of our hotel. He was dressed in blue jeans and a red flannel shirt. He smiled at me as I approached him from the elevator.

"Hello there, love," he greeted once we were in ear-shot of each other.

"Hey Tom. How did you sleep?" I gave him a hug.

"Wonderfully. How about you?" He embraced me for a few moments before letting go.

"Quite fine. So what are we doing today?" I grinned at him.

"Well, we'll need your car for this one." He stuck his hand out, motioning for me to hand him the keys to my rent-a-car.

"Alright. But if you wreck it, you're paying," I teased.

He chuckled as I handed him the keys, then I followed him out of the lobby and into the lot.

It was a beautiful sunny day in Toronto. I had quite a few questions about where Tom was planning to take me. It wasn't like this was exactly unusual behavior for him - after all, he and I had been friends since his work in the first Avengers movie. He and I clicked instantly, sharing our love for all things fun and silly.

We drove quite a way from the hotel. It had been several miles (sorry, kilometers. Forgive my American ways) before we pulled into the entrance of Beaumont Park. I had never been there, and was rather in awe of the spectacle.

"Oh Tom, it's beautiful," I said as I stared out the passenger window. "Oh, look at the colors! Everything is starting to bloom!"

He chuckled.

"I've never been here before, so we'll need a map."

I turned my attention away from the window and watched him drive to the park ranger's office, where we paid our admittance fee and received a rather large map of the entire park. I thanked Tom for paying and he shrugged it off. We drove down a small road and stopped at the first trail.

"Let's do this!" Tom exclaimed as he took a swig from a water bottle before getting out of the car.

I giggled at him and got out, taking the keys out of the igntion so we could lock up.

We spent the next three and a half hours hiking, joking, and laughing. He really was a ray of sunshine to me. We climbed up a rather large rock that viewed a lake, took quite a few photos, and I nearly fell going down some steps that led us back to the car. Luckily Tom was there to catch me.

"Best be careful, Max," he said as he grinned down at me. He left a kiss on my head, then let go of me and continued his walk back to the care. I stood there dumbfounded for a moment before booking it to the car.

* * *

"Where to next, my trusty tour guide?" I asked him as we pulled out of the park.

"Lunch, of course." He looked over at me and smiled, then stared straight ahead at the road.

We drove for a while until we arrived at a restaurant called Richmond Station. We had cheeseburgers, steak fries, and Cokes with our meal. I was stuffed by the end of the meal. Hey, I only weighed one-hundred and fifteen pounds. I couldn't help that I was small and ate like a bird.

"I take it you don't want dessert, then?" he said cheekily as I sat back in my seat, hand on my stomach.

"I'm good. But don't let that stop you from ordering if you want!" I said quickly.

"No, I'm full as well. So, off to our next adventure then?" he asked as he pulled out some money.

"Yeah. Hopefully nothing too physical now - I like to work my body, but not when I'm this stuffed."

He chuckled as he looked over me, beautiful blue eyes glistening.

"You'll enjoy this."

* * *

We drove for a while to our next destination, which ended up being a butterfly conservatory. Being a lover of animals and all things pretty, I was very excited. I reached for Tom's hard and gave it a squeeze when we got out of the car.

"Oh, this will be so much fun! Thank you, Tom!"

Tom merely chuckled at my child-like excitement.

Inside was beautiful. It was warm enough where we could shed our long-sleeve shirts and just wear t-shirts. There were waterfalls, "forests," and other recreated habitates for the butterflies. I even saw my favorite butterfly: the black swallowtail.

"Oh, everyone on my Instagram page is going to be so envious when they see this picture," I said after posing for a photo with a black swallowtail in my hand, and took my phone back from Tom.

"Want to get one together?" I asked him, motioning in front of a waterfall.

"Sure," he said with a smile. "Love to."

I set the timer on my phone and placed it on a tree stump, then angled it with Tom's phone upon request. We walked over to the edge of the waterfall and he put his arm around my waist, and I put my arm around his shoulders. We smiled and took the picture. It really was the perfect way to capture part of one of the best days I'd had in a very long time.

* * *

When we came back to the hotel, I thanked Tom over and over for the wonderful day. He brushed it off.

"It really was no problem. I had loads of fun with you, Max." He turned his head toward me and smiled.

"And I had loads of fun with you, Mr. Hiddleston." I grinned at him.

He remained in that position for a bit and I suddenly felt mesmerized. It wasn't the first time Tom made me feel that way. He slowly reached out and touched my shoulder and allowed his arm to rest there. He had the side of his head resting on the seat, just watching me.

"You really are beautiful, you know that?" he said, making me blush.

"Oh, To-"

I was interrupted by his phone ringing. He sighed and took his hand off of my shoulder and reached for his phone in his jeans pocket.

"Hello?" he answered. "Yes. Uh-huh. Okay. Yes, of course. See you then. Good bye."

He looked at me as he hung up.

"Guillermo. He wants us on set a little earlier tomorrow. I'd better let you go to bed to relax."

The problem was, by that time, I wanted to go to bed and relax with him.

"Right," I said as I sighed, reaching for the handle. "Thanks again for the amazing day, Tom. I hope we can do something like this again."

"We will." He smiled as we both got out of the car.

"Have a good night, Max," he said as he tossed me the keys.

"You as well, Tom."

* * *

Once I reached my hotel room, I noticed it was early enough back in California to call my best friend, Camila. She always had her phone with her so I assumed she'd answer. I scrolled through my contacts and called her number, and heard it rang a few times before she answered.

"Maxie!" she exclaimed happily.

"Camila! How's L.A.?" I sat down on my bed.

"It's great. Missing you! How are things going on set? They keeping you good and busy?"

Camila was a makeup artist and a damn fine one at that, so she understand the entertainment industry and how hectic things could be.

"Oh yeah. Things are good. Guess who I just spent the day with." I grinned.

"No way!" she exclaimed. "Tom?"

"Yeah way." I giggled and laid down. "I think he was going to kiss me in the car too, but he got interrupted by Guillermo calling."

"He was gonna kiss you?" She gasped. "I told you he likes you how many times and you never listen! This proves it now! You gotta figure out a way to get him alone tomorrow and kiss him!"

"This isn't high school, Camila. If it's meant to be, it'll be. I'd rather it happen naturally than devise some sort of silly plan that'll just blow up in my face."

"Party pooper," she teased.

We visited for a while longer before I had to hang up so I could get ready for bed. It was going to be an early morning on set, after all, and I needed to look and feel my best.


End file.
